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Sight: 5 Future Technology Innovations from IBM

In 5 years, computers will not only be able to look at images, but understand them. Computers will be trained to turn pictures and videos into features, identifying things like color distribution, texture patterns, edge information and motion information. A pixel will be worth a thousand words.

Every year IBM makes predictions about 5 technology innovations that stand to change the way we live within the next 5 years. See all IBM 5 in 5 predictions at

Michio Kaku talks about computers sensing health changes in a person; in his book Physics of the future; and responding appropriately (e.g. scheduling an appointment with a doctor). Like the Star Trek, tricorder.﻿

it's entirely possible. the human brain is merely the sum of its parts. the fact that technology advancement scales exponentially means that yes, we dont know when we will develop something, but we will be able to replicate everything we see in the world around us eventually. we already have artificial leaves that replicate photosynthesis for example. the trick with advanced AI is to replicate pain in my opinion﻿

yea, damn religious hindrance xD my point being, is that tech has, on average, developed on a relatively exponential scale. Kardashev's scale of civilizations for example. the thing is, it took humanity thousands of years to develop basic farming, a few thousand to develop industry after that, and then hundreds to manipulate nuclear and electric energy – then decades after that we have computers and basic space travel.﻿

that requires a dictation of the value of a technology or advancement, who says nuclear power is better than x, or x is 4x better than y.

Religious hindrance is the same thing as societal hindrance, therefore, society has an effect. If society is unwilling or unable to adapt at a certain rate, then it probably won't until it is integrated, and believe me when I say that not everyone will want to become a virtual cyborg AI.

We have problems burning black liquid into the skies, let alone this.﻿

There isn't a cap, but a societal hindrance. We are not beings of pure logic that calculate at a single rate, and we have barely cracked the secrets of our own brain, let alone create and artificial or virtual version of it. Modify, prototype, and distribute is the fundamental core in improvement of tech, and until we can actually have a basis for human knowledge or a brain, who knows. We learn, but what are we constrained by? What problems will arise in creating a "learning" artificial brain? ﻿

you are entirely correct, but i would argue that such advancements drastically alter human living condition. imagine life without computers, life without electricity, live without metal, life without farms… superstition and fear, as you have said about society, play a key role in what is developed or not. i cannot argue if this is will always be for the best in the case of cyborgs and such. (and advancements will probably be monopolized more/less for the quick buck of an investor…)﻿

on a side not: that black liquid is precious carbon that needs to be recycled back into the biosphere eventually. while volcanoes and such do this naturally, more will also be created as the cycle of life and death continues. (how human's will effect this i cannot say)﻿

Yes, but you cannot set or know a value a technology creates and see a rate at which all technologies advance. This would require a massive sociological and mathematical project, but other than this point, we agree on most of the same points.

If you know how computers work, it would be theoretically improbable to make a computer to think on its' own. Computers have always operated on 'yes' and 'no', at its' very foundation. No matter how complex or cool a computer gets, it still operates on 'yes' or 'no in the end. Humans operate on emotions, which are chemical reactions. In order to make a computer operate differently, you would need to have a computer make decisions based on chemical input, not 'yes' and 'no'.﻿

To comment below, actually there are Quantum computers being designed with Graphene processors (1000 GHz+) which can make analogous decisions. Once software scientists/engineers learn how to code for it, true AI can be accomplished as in a computer that has the same/more intellect as a human being and be able to make real decisions and think for itself (an electronic organism).﻿

Really interesting! Why don`t u try this useful site coursmos.com!It is a new web + mobile platform, where everyone can be a teacher and anyone can be a student. new format of online micro-courses which helps everyone to learn and study!﻿

After hearing this, I have one suggestion. Should there be any nature disaster occur, the telco company like Vodafone, O2, T mobile, Orange, M1, Star Hub, Singtel, Maxis, Digi, Celcom etc should send an alert text:"There is an earth quake for example is happening in our country at XXX place. Please go to the safe area etc."﻿